Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Occupied Mind

For an update on Maevey, please see the next post on the blog.------------------------------------------------------------

I consistently battle a streak of worry wart.

I come from a long line of worry warts, and I have the jagged, bitten fingernails to prove it. When I get infatuated with a concern, I have a real problem trying to go to sleep.

So it's past one in the morning, I am sipping on a Hoegaarden (a great Belgian beer I first had in a little pub on London's Portobello Road last September) and typing away to the lovely image of Conan O'Brien in a Latin dance costume, complete with ruffled sleeves.

I suppose God is offering to me his own amusing distraction.

Anyway.

I am a bit of an emotional eater. On occasions when others are too nervous to have a bite, I can successfully inhale a Big Mac, a sleeve of Thin Mints and bag of Doritos while scooping up a pint of Ben & Jerry's (Phish Food is the best) and sipping down a pitcher of margaritas.

'Cause that's just how I roll.

Tonight my cupboards are almost bare (intentionally), full only of items that require laborious preparation - like dry pasta, dry beans, dry oatmeal. Notice a theme here? I suppose the logic is this: if I am really that hungry, I will invest the time and energy to prepare something.

Unfortunately this logic has led me to make my fair share of trips to the nearby Fresh Market for pre-made deliciousness - because I am more often wanting to grab a quick gourmet something than I am willing to take the time to prepare a meal as tempting as, say, Quaker Oatmeal.

It turns out I am not alone.

Recent statistics show at-home food preparation is on the rise. Part of it is the economy - two chicken breasts divided four ways is far more affordable than taking little Johnny and Jenny to the neighborhood Chili's (did I mention I hate chain restaurants?) for dinner. Another reason for the trend is all those cooking shows on Food TV. Giada, Rachael, Emeril, the Contessa, even Sandra (groan) - they all have followers fans who aspire to the same culinary greatness.

That said (I am finally getting to that point about ready-to-eat), most people don't have time to whip up Ina's Cornish Hens with Cornbread Stuffing. I mean, really, it looks delicious. Those perfectly crossed legs look fantastic and the Contessa really had me when her recipe called for real butter, but really - sometimes I don't even have time to wait for condensed soup to heat up.

Ergo - grab-and-go.

The success of places like Whole Foods and Fresh Market have grocery stores clamoring to provide culinary sophistication with the simplicity of add-water-and-stir. They realize there is there is a unique convergence erupting at dinner time: busy people don't have the time to prepare the sophistication their palates crave.

And so we cave in to prepared sushi, made-to-order paninis, a treasure trove of flavor at the olive bar.

Be honest. When was the last time you passed up the Yogurt and Onion Kettle Chips for the organically grown fingerling potatoes?